Burn injuries can lead to years of reconstructive surgery and extended periods of physical and emotional trauma. Burns on the scalp are constant reminders of the injury, especially when they interfere with healthy hair growth. Fortunately, today’s advancements in hair restoration techniques can provide hair replacement which can conceal scarring and even return the hair to a natural appearance. If you have suffered scalp injuries as a result of a fire, a chemical burn, or another accident, contacting a hair treatment doctor should be your next step in recovery.
Why Don’t Burned Areas Grow Hair?
When an individual suffers a burn injury to the scalp, the glands and associated hair follicles often become damaged. With second and third-degree burns, burn victims will most likely experience damage to the glands and hair follicles, plus the connective tissues, nerves, lymphatic vessels, and blood vessels. Patients with less severe burns may be able to regrow hair within a few months. However, if there is still no hair growth a year after the accident, the scarring is probably too extensive for hair to regrow naturally. In these circumstances, a visit to a hair treatment doctor may be your best option.
What Are Advanced Hair Restoration Treatments?
Significant advancements have been made in the hair restoration field, and burn victims are no longer resigned to concealing the damaged and hairless areas with a hat, wig, or scarf. Hair treatment doctors have the necessary experience and training in advanced techniques, such as follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplantation (FUT) to help patients restore normal-looking new hair growth. Healthy hair follicles are extracted from a donor area and are then transplanted directly into the regions scarred by burns or other injuries. In this way, burn and accident victims can regain natural appearance and function.
Am I a Suitable Candidate for Hair Restoration?
Your hair transplant surgeon, like Dr. Robin Unger, can evaluate and assess your condition and determine whether you are a suitable candidate for hair restoration. Several factors may be taken into account, including:
- Severity of the burn
- Size of the affected burned or scarred region
- How much time has elapsed since your injury
Some burn victims may require additional therapeutic procedures before being eligible for a transplant. Healing from the original injury must be complete as well.
You Can Learn More During a Consultation with a Hair Treatment Doctor
Hair restoration physicians understand that burn victims are dealing with physical and emotional challenges, and aim to support burn victims through their healing process. Restoring your physical appearance and concealing the unsightly damage is as important to them as it is to you. Achieving successful hair replacement is a goal that hair restoration doctors take seriously, and hope it will improve your self-confidence and bring a sense of normalcy back into your life. You may even be able to recover some or all of the costs of hair restoration treatment through a personal injury lawsuit if another party or product defect was at fault for your burn injury.
To learn more about these treatments, schedule a consultation with a hair treatment doctor in your local area.
